Sunday, December 21, 2008

Losing Weight After a C-Section

First all, if you've just had a c-section, don't go nuts with the working out. Give your incision some time to heal. I'm serious. You don't want to risk permanent damage by losing weight after c-section too quickly. If you're not back into your pre-pregnancy jeans posthaste I think that people will understand.
So take it easy.

Here's what you should for losing weight after c-section:

1. Take walks. Walking for losing weight after c-section is ideal. It's low-impact. It gets you into the habit of exercising. (You should have been walking all through pregnancy anyway.)
2. Eat right. Please, please, please eat right. This can't be said enough. Losing weight after c-section is tough enough when you're eating the right foods. Do your self a favor - throw out the junk! Keep your kitchen and pantry stocked with healthy snacks. Having healthy snacks around will eliminate any temptation.
3. Drink lots of water. When you're not pregnant or nursing, the number of cups is 8 per day. But during pregnancy and afterbirth, you're going to want to drink between 10-13 cups/day. Seriously. This will help get rid of unwanted water retention. And it will help with milk production. Your baby will thank you.
4. Since you'll be sitting a lot for recovery anyway, breastfeed. Because you're trying to lose weight after c-section, you can't do all of the exercises that a mother who has just had a vaginal birth. Breastfeeding can burn up to 500 calories per day.
5. Again, take it easy. It's easy to get carried away. You honestly won't be doing your body any favors by trying to take the baby fat off too fast! You could up hurting your efforts more than helping them.

Use commonsense when losing weight after c-section and you'll find yourself back in pre-pregnancy shape in a reasonable time.

No comments: